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There are some simple things you can do to make sure your trip goes as smoothly as possible during the busy holiday travel season. It is estimated that air travel will increase by 2.5% this holiday season equaling more than 2.2 million passengers per day.

1. There’s an app for that: Be sure to stay connected. Download your airline’s app, your favorite weather app to check the weather for your destination, Gate Guru to help you navigate those larger airports, Hotel Tonight if your get stuck at your connecting hub, and Flight Status to your smartphone before leaving home. If you are traveling to a foreign country, you might want to add Google Translate and a currency converter app. Be sure to sign up for itinerary alerts and updates from your airline before leaving home.

2. Charge all of your electronic devices before you leave home as you may be asked to turn on your device going through security. Also, you will need charged devices to use all those apps you downloaded. Don’t forget your chargers and consider bringing a charged power stick for emergencies.

3. If possible, print your boarding passes at home for back-up, use a check-in kiosk at the airport, or pull up your boarding pass on your smartphone.

3. Pack wisely and light. If you can avoid checking a bag, you will generally save money (depends on the airline), and time at the baggage conveyor and you will be prepared if you need to change plans in the middle of your trip due to weather, etc. If going the carry-on route, pay particular attention to TSA’s rules about liquids and gels following the 3-1-1 guidelines at TSA.gov. Since it is the holidays, remember wrapped packages can cause security check-in delays. It is best to wrap at your destination or better yet ship the packages ahead.

4. Pack snacks for the trip and potential delays along the way. Once you get through security, you can buy water and other beverages to take on-board. Don’t get hangry along the way. Keep yourself and your travel companions fueled up for the trip.

5. Pack plenty of books, games, and other entertainment for yourself and especially for any children traveling with you.

6. Be sure that you are aware of alternative routes, flights and airports to reach your destination, that way you can help reroute yourself if needed. Avoid the long lines during delays and call the airline directly especially if you are a frequent flyer on that airline when you may have a separate line to call.

7. Allow extra time everywhere – driving to the airport, check-in, and getting through security. Even if you are an expert traveler, during the holiday season there are many who only travel occasionally and they may need extra help getting through the airport and the process. An extra 45 minutes can make a big difference in reducing travel stress.

8. Take a deep breath and keep in mind the reason you are traveling in the first place.

Special Note: Samsung galaxy Note 7 smartphones are currently banned on all U.S. airlines.

Over the last few months there has been an increase of close proximity sightings of drones/UAS(Unmanned Aircraft Systems) over large airports by commercial aircraft. The number of these close proximity sightings reported to the FAA for 2015 has increased by more than 270% from the previous year. Some of the large increase in sightings and incidents can be attributable to the fact that the method in tracking these reports wasn’t fully in place in 2014. Additionally, the collision hazard between these UAS and aircraft is fairly minor. The UAS themselves are typically pretty small and all commercial aircraft are all designed to take a hit from a 5 pound bird and keep flying. In addition to this increase in proximity sightings there has also been an increase in incidents involving UAS and people on the ground.

In an effort to address the potential collision hazards and minimize risk, the FAA has recently implemented requirements and informational campaigns for operators of UAS. All this information can be found at www.faa.gov/uas or www.knowbeforeyoufly.org. There is also a B4UFLY app for iOS. The app for Android is still in beta testing.

With these new requirements you may have members of the public approaching you with questions. The key information that all operators need to know is as follows:

• All UAS flights conducted within 5 miles of an airport require airport owner and air traffic control permission.
• Flights must be conducted below 400 feet for private/hobby use.
• Operator must maintain visual contact with UAS personally or by communicating with another individual acting as a spotter.
• Remain well clear of, and do not interfere with manned aircraft operations.
• Don’t fly near people or stadiums.
• Don’t fly an aircraft that weighs more than 55 lbs.
• Don’t be careless or reckless with your unmanned aircraft.
• Do not photograph people in areas where there is an expectation of privacy without the individual’s permission.
• Do not fly under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• Violations of FAA UAS regulations can involve fines up to $27,500 and up to 20 years in jail.
• ALL UAS weighing between 0.55 and 55 pounds must be registered with the FAA as of December 21, 2015. A unique identification number will be assigned by the FAA and must be affixed to the UAS. This registration was free until January 20, 2016. After that date the cost is $5 to register. Registrations are valid for 3 years. This registration can be accomplished on the www.knowbeforeyoufly.org website.

Print your boarding passes at home, use a check-in kiosk at the airport, or pull up your boarding pass on your smartphone.

Avoid checking a bag if possible, you will generally save money (depends on the airline), and time at the baggage conveyor and you will be prepared if you need to change plans in the middle of your trip due to weather, etc. If you do carry-on your luggage, pay particular attention to TSA’s rules about liquids and gels following the 3-1-1 guidelines at TSA.gov.

Remember wrapped packages can cause security check-in delays. It is best to wrap at your destination or better yet ship the packages ahead.

Pack snacks for the trip and potential delays along the way. Once you get through security, you can buy water and other beverages to take on-board the aircraft. Keep yourself and your travel companions fueled up for the trip.

Pack plenty of books, games, and other entertainment for yourself and especially for any children traveling with you.

Be aware of alternative routes, flights and airports to reach your destination, that way you can help reroute yourself if needed.

Allow extra time everywhere – driving to the airport, check-in, and getting through security. Even if you are an expert traveler, during the holiday season there are many who only travel occasionally and they may need extra help getting through the airport and the process.

Take a deep breath and keep in mind the reason you are traveling in the first place.

If you have been to BGR lately to catch a flight to a warmer place, you will have noticed that the space to the right of the escalator is very quiet since the ticket counters have all moved to the other end of terminal.

But behind that large white wall there has been a lot going on.

Sheridan Corporation has been full steam ahead first tearing out all of the old airline offices, and then starting to build out the new space for the new airline offices and the new baggage screening system.

Carpenter Associates, our clerk of the work, keeps everything moving forward and facilitates a weekly meeting with all of the “players”. It is always exciting to see and hear about how much progress has been made and how fast the job is progressing.

This current phase is the longest phase of the project as it involves the most technical portion of the newly remodeled space with the new baggage screening system.

If all continues at its current pace and we don’t hit any snags, the airlines should be moved into their new space by mid-autumn. This means BGR passengers will be able to start experincing the new technology for checking in and having their bags screened. No more need to take your bag to a drop-off after it is tagged by your airline.

Okay, so it is not snowing right this minute at Bangor International, but we have had 49.9 inches of snow in the last ten days and almost 100 inches since November 1st. It is -3 degrees with a wind chill many degrees colder as I write this and the forecast is for snow starting Sunday morning and ending on Tuesday – again. And just this week the National Weather Service notified us “that Bangor has set a new record for the most amount of snow in a short period of time. There was no snow on the ground as of January 24th. Since then 45 inches in 9 calendar days.” (Not a record we were striving to break by the way.)

So far this winter has been challenging for all of us but no more so than for the BGR Snow Team. It is one thing to have 18 inches of snow in a storm and quite another matter to have just under 50 inches in ten days with a storm every other day or so.

In past winters, there is usually enough time between storms for our award winning Snow Team to “cleanup” meaning they can fine tune the snow removal around all of the signs and lights on the airfield, move snow piles from the ramps, and melt snow as needed.

Robbie Beaton, Superintendent of Facilities, said, “The challenges this snow season have been many. The Snow Team has been working around the clock with no breaks for the last 10 days. With 12 hour shifts and constant snow, extreme cold, and wind, it gets a little discouraging. That being said, we have stayed open and fully operational thanks to their great efforts.” Generally speaking if flights are cancelled it is due to closures at the other end and/or the repositioning of aircraft by the airlines during major weather events.

Snow removal on an airfield is part science, part art. As the storm is forecast, the Snow Team looks at the conditions forecast, i.e. wet, heavy snow, light, fluffy snow, wind, no wind, temperatures, etc., and formulate a plan. As the storm arrives, they adjust for any changes between forecast and reality, determine whether they will need to use fluid or not, what the wind patterns are and then they start their dance on the airfield.

BGR Snow Plow Ballet

Yes, I said dance because it is like a ballet with precise movements, rhythms, and tempos. It is always amazing to me just to stand and watch them work. If you happen to be at the airport and have a view of the airfield on a snowy day watch for the line of snow equipment moving down the runway or across one of the ramps and be amazed. And if by chance you have the opportunity, please take it to say “Thank you” to the BGR Snow Team for keeping us open and you flying even in a record breaking snow season.

2. If possible, print your boarding passes at home, use a check-in kiosk at the airport, or pull up your boarding pass on your smartphone.

3. Pack wisely and light. If you can avoid checking a bag, you will generally save money (depends on the airline), and time at the baggage conveyor and you will be prepared if you need to change plans in the middle of your trip due to weather, etc. If going the carry-on route, pay particular attention to TSA’s rules about liquids and gels following the 3-1-1 guidelines at TSA.gov. Since it is the holidays, remember wrapped packages can cause security check-in delays. It is best to wrap at your destination or better yet ship the packages ahead.

4. Pack snacks for the trip and potential delays along the way. Once you get through security, you can buy water and other beverages to take on-board. Don’t get hangry along the way. Keep yourself and your travel companions fueled up for the trip.

5. Pack plenty of books, games, and other entertainment for yourself and especially for any children traveling with you.

6. Be sure that you are aware of alternative routes, flights and airports to reach your destination, that way you can help reroute yourself if needed.

7. Allow extra time everywhere – driving to the airport, check-in, and getting through security. Even if you are an expert traveler, during the holiday season there are many who only travel occasionally and they may need extra help getting through the airport and the process.

8. Take a deep breath and keep in mind the reason you are traveling in the first place.

We are almost half way done with the paving construction project around Godfrey Blvd. at BGR, wanted to give passengers an update.

Starting early this morning (8/12), paving will begin on Phase I. Over the past three weeks, construction crews have removed several layers of pavement that have been “patched” over the last few years, and have improved several drainage issue areas. Once paving starts tomorrow, the lane will be level.

Beginning early Thursday morning (8/13), the barriers will start being moved to the right lane of Godfrey Blvd. This means that there will be no passenger pick up/drop-off in front of the terminal for several weeks. Passengers needing wheelchair assistance may be dropped off or picked up in front of the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel. All other passengers may be picked up or dropped off in the Short Term parking lot (there are signs indicating where to go). Remember the first 15 minutes of parking in the Short Term lot are FREE!

Continuing from the first post about construction, typically, passengers are encouraged to arrive at least 1-2 hours prior to flight departure to park, check luggage, and process security screening. During this time, please plan to arrive closer to 2 hours prior to scheduled departure, to ensure you catch your flight.

Finally, starting today for a period of about three hours, the Car Rental Return entrance will be relocated just around the corner (please see photo). Signage will be posted, and we will announce the change on facebook and twitter.

The construction that is taking place will help improve access to BGR and make the roadways safer for the winter season. Finally, to recap:

Passengers needing wheelchair assistance may park in front of the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel starting Thursday.

All other passengers may be picked up/dropped off in Short Term Parking, and the first 15 minutes are FREE. Please do not park on the side of the road or in the middle of the road as it is a safety hazard.

Passengers traveling to BGR needing a Taxi should proceed to the Short Term Lot where they will be waiting.

Passengers flying out of BGR should arrive approximately 2 hours prior to their scheduled departure to allow for new traffic patterns for parking/drop-off and Summer flight times.

Check BGR’s Facebook/Twitter pages for construction updates, as we transition through phases.

Thank you for your patience while we work to the customer experience at BGR. If you have any questions, please comment or email us at admin@flybangor.com

During the next couple months, passengers traveling to BGR will see some traffic pattern changes, as paving begins this week.

Phasing of 2014 Godfrey Blvd. Construction

The roadway on Godfrey Blvd. past the Maine Ave./Godfrey Blvd. round-a-bout, will be down to one lane for the majority of the summer. Please follow the signs for temporary passenger pick-up and drop-off in the Short Term parking lot, as drop-off in front of the Domestic Terminal will not be possible during this time. The first 15 minutes of parking in the parking lot is FREE!

Parking lot and car rental return entrances will be periodically affected. We will be making paving update announcements via our facebook and Twitter pages as phases change. However, passengers should plan an extra 15-20 minutes for travel time to BGR, especially as several flight departure times happen around the same time. Typically, passengers are encouraged to arrive at least 1-2 hours prior to flight departure to park, check luggage, and process security screening. During this time, please plan to arrive closer to the 2 hours prior to scheduled departure, to ensure you catch your flight.

Also, during this time, the Taxi stand at BGR will be moved to Short Term Parking as well as all other ground transportation pick ups (buses, shuttles, etc.) Passengers arriving to BGR that need ground transportation services, should proceed across the designated walkway to the Short Term Lot.

The construction that is taking place will help improve access to BGR and make the roadways safer for the winter season. Finally, to recap:

Passenger Pick-up/Drop Off has moved to Short Term Parking, and the first 15 minutes are free.

Passengers traveling to BGR needing a Taxi should proceed to the Short Term Lot where they will be waiting. As will shuttle and bus pick-up.

Passengers flying out of BGR should arrive approximately 2 hours prior to their scheduled departure to allow for new traffic patterns for parking/drop-off and Summer flight times.

Check BGR’s Facebook/Twitter pages for construction updates, as we transition through phases.

Thank you for your patience while we work to the customer experience at BGR. If you have any questions, please comment or email us at admin@flybangor.com

Air Service Development is a lengthy process, and is more difficult than picking up the phone and calling an airline and saying, “Hey, we have a lot of people here who would like to go to place X, when can we have a plane to go there?” as I admittedly once thought when I first started my internship in the Marketing Department.

Before BGR obtains a new service route, we must first answer a lot of questions. Yes, we would like air service to almost anywhere, but is it the right fit? Is there enough demand for the service to make the route successful? What size aircraft would we ask for or like to have? Does the airline most likely to serve that route have any “spare” aircraft? What would the price of the tickets be to support the service? Is that price marketable? The Marketing Department studies where our passengers are traveling to and coming from, and tries to match our service requests accordingly.

Risteen Bahr, the Marketing Manager at BGR, is continuously in discussions with airlines and our air service consultants about new service, expanded routes and right-sizing of aircraft and the frequency of flights on existing routes. We attend air service development conferences each year where we have meetings with airlines to propose new and expanded service. When we do this, we discuss our “catchment area”, the population of people within a predetermined radius, the demand for service at BGR, the local business climate, and potential support for new routes. Basically, it comes down to – the more people in the area, the more likely BGR is to get new or expanded air service.

We also have to show that there is interest in why people would come here. Many times we think about planes leaving, but what about the visitors traveling here? We need to demonstrate that people want to come here year round, as well as seasonally.

Finally, we look at potential ticket costs. As we know, the largest driver of air travel costs is the cost of fuel. And while we as the airport have no say in prices airlines set for tickets, we understand that there is a delicate balance between the size of the aircraft, the number of seats, and the length of the trip. It always goes back to the question about demand, and how sustainable and profitable the route would be if an airline starts service here. Air fares that are not priced right will not be supported with traveler purchases.

One final point – we get a lot of requests for Boston service. It’s not that we do not want it, it’s just we have not found the right fit for the service. We know that the size of the aircraft has to be right to sustain the route, but also pricing needs to be reasonable for people to want to fly instead of drive. Ever since the price of oil, and thus jet fuel, increased about seven years ago, airlines do not serve the short haul market as much. However, it is something we discuss regularly with airlines, and work hard to encourage an airline to bring Boston service back to Bangor.

We hope this helps answer your questions. If you have another question you would like answered, please send it to leldridge@flybangor.com.

Starting Monday, February 24th, construction will begin on a $10 million renovation project for the first floor of the Domestic Terminal at BGR. Construction will take place in four phases, as to limit disruptions to passengers traveling to and from BGR. At no point will there be a disruption to air service due to the construction.

Starting Monday, Phase I begins. The focus of the phase is to update the escalators. These updates will make the escalators safer and more energy efficient.

One escalator will be shut down at a time for upgrades, with one escalator remaining for passenger use. During this phase, passengers needing additional assistance traveling between floors should use the elevator. The elevator located next to the Delta ticket counter on the 1st floor and the Coffee Shop located on the 2nd floor. There are also stairs next to the escalators for passengers to use.

Phase II, is scheduled to start this summer, while Phase I is still in progress. Below is more information about the construction and upgrades coming to BGR.